Even with good sitting posture, it is unhealthy to sit as much as the average person does on a daily basis.
Summary
- Sitting too much can kill you
- Standing desks are a great way to spend way less time sitting every day
- Start easy with standing 10-20 minutes every hour
- Moving is still very important for your health
You might not want to hear it and it may sound a bit dramatic, but it’s true: sitting too much can kill you. Experts are still in the process of figuring out the exact cause but it’s commonly understood that sitting for long periods of time comes with many negative health effects. These effects include higher obesity risk, increased cancer risk and shorter life expectancy. Sitting all day also doesn’t do anything good for your posture. So there are many good reasons to spend less time sitting down.
A great tool to spend less time sitting in the office are standing desks. Standing desks are gaining popularity and if you’re in the position to get one we think you should. But how do you transition from your normal sitting desk to a health beneficial standing desk? Here are some things to consider when you’re thinking about getting a standing desk.
A great tool to spend less time sitting in the office are standing desks.
- Start easy: you don’t want to go from six hours to zero overnight. You should aim to sit for three hours max during your waking hours. When you’re used to sitting most of the day, standing all day will be hard. Try to stand 20 minutes every hour to start with.
- Joints: use a gel mat to support your knees, ankles and hips whilst standing behind your desk.
- The set-up: the screen of your computer should be 15 to 25 inches from your eyes. Your eye level should be slightly below your screen, meaning that your looking up to prevent your from hunching over. Of course your wrists should be flat and your elbows in a nice 90-degree angle.
- Move it: standing is a great upgrade from sitting. However, it is still important to move throughout the day so take a walk every now and then.
Standing for long periods of time will strengthen your core and other muscles that are very important for your posture!
Are you getting a standing desk? Or do you have any experience with standing in the office? We would love to hear your thoughts on twitter or in the comments below!
